Gosse: Coaches don't always need to be heard

I recently viewed a college basketball game played at Vanderbilt University and immediately remembered the benches are at opposite ends of the court.

Research pointed out that the gym was constructed in 1952, when it was built in memory of students and alumni killed in World War II. The floor was raised above its surroundings, resembling that of a stage. It also had very wide sidelines, contrasting the facility it replaced, where the players reportedly could scrape their shoulders on the walls bringing the ball up court. Because of the wider sidelines, the benches were forced to the ends.

As I watched that game, it was refreshing to see how invisible the coaches were, even with the extension of the coaching boxes down the sideline at Memorial Gym beginning this season. As I’ve said before, coaches as a whole spend too much time standing up and micromanaging.

If it was possible, why couldn’t additional gyms have benches at opposite ends, so the game could be about players instead of coaches prancing up and down the sidelines?

Could that gym design have been a stroke of genius without realizing it?

Think about the number of coaches in postgame interviews whose voices are strained from bellowing during a game.

My old Marquette Warriors teammate Doc Rivers did not have as scratchy a voice in college as he does now after years of coaching in the NBA.

There’s a difference in obtaining a hoarse voice from screaming and berating the players versus one obtained from unabated encouragement; however, coaches should do their work during practice and let the players execute in games. Spending more time sitting down and watching would do amazing things for their players and throats.

That’s what the late John Wooden would ascribe to, as he stated numerous times how coaches yelling during games are facilitating an unprepared team.

According to an article on breakthroughbasketball.com, a reason even more compelling to be quiet is that yelling or encouraging has little impact to begin with and playing better or worse is more about a simple statistical phenomenon: regression to the mean.

It turns out, most coaches think their words have more power than they actually do. An outstanding performance, due to regression to the mean, likely will be followed by one not nearly as good. Likewise, a poor performance generally will be followed by a better one.

Therefore, should nothing be said?

Instead of yelling, it’s recommended at practice to raise your team’s level of play by:

» Showing, not telling, your team what to do

» Telling them they can do better.

» Focusing on a few, specific fundamentals to improve.

» Repeatedly practicing those skills, while remembering to have fun.

» Tracking, rewarding and recognizing progress, no matter how slow.

Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen once commented: “(Vince) Lombardi taught you how to anticipate and react no matter what the situation. He prepared you, then he let you play.”

Instead of getting worked up, micromanaging and ruining voices, let 'em play, like the gym at Vanderbilt seems to encourage.